ERIC Number: EJ1444542
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023-Sep
Pages: 7
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0021-9584
EISSN: EISSN-1938-1328
From Soybeans to Tofu: The Underlying Chemistry
Bingxing Wang; Qi Wang; Bingli Wang; Songlin Wang; Yongcai Zhang; Donglin Zhao
Journal of Chemical Education, v100 n9 p3724-3730 2023
Tofu, a traditional Chinese food, is now popular worldwide. However, few people notice the chemistry that is involved in its production. To shed light on this, we have designed a simple demonstration for lower-level undergraduates in organic chemistry or biochemistry courses to help them understand the chemistry principles that underlie the curdling step in tofu processing. Raw soymilk is relatively stable without heating, even with the addition of coagulants. However, heat treatment denatures the soy proteins in soymilk, which makes them more amenable to coagulation. This coagulation is further promoted with salt coagulants, such as calcium gluconate, zinc gluconate, and calcium lactate. Acid coagulants such as white vinegar or grape, orange, and lemon juice can also induce coagulation due to their acidic properties. Based on our results and on previous reports, we illustrate the curdling mechanism in this work. This demonstration can also be used as an at-home experiment during lab closure situations, such as a pandemic, and can arouse students' curiosity about the coagulation of other food proteins and the process of making alternative tofu.
Descriptors: Food, Undergraduate Students, Biochemistry, Organic Chemistry, Heat, Chemistry, Science Instruction, Science Experiments
Division of Chemical Education, Inc. and ACS Publications Division of the American Chemical Society. 1155 Sixteenth Street NW, Washington, DC 20036. Tel: 800-227-5558; Tel: 202-872-4600; e-mail: eic@jce.acs.org; Web site: http://pubs.acs.org/jchemeduc
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Descriptive
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A